C — Commendation Ninepence to Conciergerie (Part 1 of 3)

Commendation Ninepence A bent silver ninepence, supposed to be lucky, and commonly used in the seventeenth century as a love-token, the giver or sender using these words, “From my love, to my love.” Sometimes the coin was broken, and each kept a part.

“Like commendation ninepence, crooked,
With `To and from my love,' it looked.”
Butler: Hudibras, i. 1.

“Filbert: As this divides, thus are we torn in twain.
Kitty: And as this meets, thus may we meet again.”
Gay: What d'ye Call It?

Committee A committee of the whole house, in Parliamentary language, is when the Speaker leaves the chair and all the members form a committee, where anyone may speak once or more than once. In such cases the chair is occupied by the chairman of committees, elected with each new Parliament.
   A standing committee, in Parliamentary language, is a committee which continues to the end of the current session. To this committee are referred all questions which fall within the scope of their appointment.

Committing Falsehood Swindling.
   The Earl of Rosebery pointed out that the expression “committing false-hood” in Scotch law was synonymous with what in England was called swindling (April 25th, 1885).

Commodity of Brown Paper (A). Rubbish served as make-weight; worthless stock; goods palmed off on the inexperienced. In most auctions the buyer of a lot has a fair share of the commodity of brown paper. Rubbish given to supplement a loan.

“Here's young Master Rash! he's in for a commodity of brown paper and old ginger, nine-score and seventeen pounds [i.e. 197, a part of the advance being old ginger and brown paper].”- Shakespeare: Measure for Measure, iv. 3.

Commodore A corruption of “commander” (French, commandeur; Spanish, comendador). A naval officer in temporary command of a squadron or division of a fleet. He has the pay of a rear-admiral.

Common Pleas Civil actions at law brought by one subject against another- not by the Crown against a subject. The Court of Common Pleas is for the trial of civil [not capital] offences. In 1875 this court was abolished, and in 1880 it was represented by the Common Pleas Division and merged in the King's [or Queen's] Bench Division.

Common Prayer The Book of Common Prayer. The book used by the Established Church of England in “divine service.” Common, in this case, means united.

Common Sense does not mean that good sense which is common, or commonly needed in the ordinary affairs of life, but the sense which is common to all the five, or the point where the five senses meet, supposed to be the seat of the soul, where it judges what is presented by the senses, and decides the mode of action. (See Seven Senses .)

Commoner The Great Commoner.
   1. Sir John Barnard, who, in 1737, proposed to reduce the interest of the national debt from 4 per cent. to 3 per cent., any creditor being at liberty to receive his principal in full if he preferred it. Mr. Goschen (1889-90) reduced the 3 per cents. to two and a half.
   2. William Pitt, the statesman (1759-1806).

Commons To put one on short commons. To stint him, to give him scanty meals. In the University of Cambridge the food provided for each student at breakfast is called his commons; hence food in general or meals.
   To come into commons. To enter a society in which the members have a common or general dinner table.

Commons in Gross - that is, at large. These are commons granted to individuals and their heirs by deed, or claimed by prescription as by a parson or corporation.